Bobbleheads Dominate MLB Promo Calendars

“We Give Away A Bobblehead, It Automatically Becomes A Sellout”

APR 14, 2015 – BY COUNSELOR

Garden gnomes, soap dispensers, fedoras and replica championship rings are just a few of the new promotional items MLB teams will give away at ballparks this season. Still, the promo product that remains the most collectible and universally popular in stadiums is the bobblehead. In fact, there are more than 130 bobblehead promotional nights scheduled at MLB parks in 2015, featuring replicas of current players, broadcasters and movie characters.

“We give away a bobblehead, it automatically becomes a sellout,” Rick Schlesinger, COO of the Milwaukee Brewers, recently told ESPN. “Every year we think we might have exhausted the bobblehead craze here in Wisconsin, and it doesn’t happen.”

For 2015, the Brewers have sold out multiple packages of promotional tickets – entitling fans to a bobblehead of Bob Uecker’s character from the film “Major League” and a bobblehead of catcher Jonathan Lucroy with a green light saber in his hand for “Star Wars” night. The Cincinnati Reds, meanwhile, have nine promotional bobblehead dates planned, and the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals each have eight. The Yankees are giving away four bobbleheads this year in the images of Masahiro Tanaka, Thurman Munson, Jacoby Ellsbury and Babe Ruth.

Bobblehead technology will also improve for 2015. The Brewers’ Uecker figurine has a chip in it that will belt out three phrases from “Major League” and the Cardinals’ Harry Caray bobblehead will also talk – a giveaway meant to honor the legendary voice of the rival Chicago Cubs.

The popularity of bobbleheads is far from a fad – plans were recently announced to open a National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee. The museum will host bobblehead events, autograph signings and mascot appearances, and it will include a bobblehead-themed restaurant. Alternatively, as an ongoing display, the Miami Marlins have a collection of about 600 baseball bobbleheads inside Marlins Park.

If bobbleheads aren’t what you’re looking for, though, MLB teams are offering quite a list of distinctive giveaways this year. A few top picks: Hisashi Iwakuma bear hats (Mariners) on April 25; BBQ branding irons (Twins) on May 25; and Star Wars’ themed Death Star balls (Red Sox) on May 4 and R2D2 koozies (Nationals) on July 19.

Sacramento Bans Single-Use Plastic Bags
The city of Sacramento, CA, has approved a ban of single-use plastic bags – the 130th jurisdiction in the Golden State to pass such a measure. Sacramento’s city council unanimously approved the ban in a meeting last week. Effective next January, shoppers must either bring in their own reusable bag or be charged 10 cents for each recycled paper bag used by the store.READ ARTICLE

“This is about our city resuming our spot as a leader in the state of California and doing the right thing,” said Mayor Kevin Johnson.

According to the ordinance, Sacramento stores are allowed to provide free reusable bags as part of a promotion, but can only run these promotions up to 60 days per year. Free reusable or recycled paper bags will be provided to participants in the California Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

A report compiled by Sacramento’s city government shows that nearly 14 million plastic bags are used in the capital each month. According to environmental advocacy organization Californians Against Waste, 19 billion plastic bags are distributed each year by retailers in California.

In February, a statewide California ban was rescinded when a trade group gathered enough signatures to prompt an upcoming voter referendum. Voters will ultimately decide whether a statewide single-use ban is enacted or not. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson proposed his city’s local ordinance in response to the referendum, and the state ban will supersede the Sacramento ordinance if it is reinstated in November of 2016. Sacramento’s ban requires stores to keep three years of sales records for paper and reusable bags, a provision that is not in the state’s ban.

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